Advice for Rising Freshman at the College of William and Mary

Below are fourteen things I wish someone would have told me before my freshman year at college.  I hope you'll find some of this advice useful!

1. Find a good group of friends and stick with them... all the time.

                At first, everyone will be your friend, but the honeymoon phase won't last for long; eventually, your differences will catch up with you, and every day becomes every week becomes once a month.  Try to seek out people early on in the semester who share common interests and ideals, so you won't be left high and dry later on.

2. Learn to "Let it Go."

                "Let it Go" from Frozen became the anthem of many over the past year.  Despite how stale this Disney hit might be growing, it does serve as an important reminder not to be bothered by things you can't control.  Failed a test?  Lost your keys?  Got woken up at 2:00 in the morning the day of your Physics exam because some idiot decided he likes his popcorn on fire?  Whatever the case, let it go. 

3. Establish routines, but break them every so often.

                Routines are crucial; they'll get you to class on time, ensure that your homework gets done, keep your belly full, and secure a reasonable number of hours to sleep, but feel free to stray from them on occasion.  We're all creatures of habit, but, once in a while, it feels good to stay up late talking or skip a meal to Skype someone you care about.

4. Bring shower shoes.

                There isn't much to say about this.  When more than twenty guys share four showers, you want the water to be the only thing in that bathroom that touches your skin.

5. Don't be a moron.

                This tip was originally entitled "Don't drink," but I know you won't listen to that.  If you're going to make the mistake of paying too much money to break the law, act like an idiot, and make a mess that your best friend will inevitably find himself cleaning up, that's your prerogative, but use the brain that got you here.  My advice: don't drink, but if you're absolutely convinced that you need your "social lubricant" to have a good time, then keep the door shut and the noise down.  I did not enjoy finding vomit in our water fountain because someone couldn't make it to the bathroom.  I did not enjoy calling 911 for a friend who was begging to go the hospital.  I did not enjoy being kept up on Thursday nights because Friday and Saturday aren't enough.  Think not only about how your choices will affect you but about how they will affect the people around you.

6. Check Ratemy.

                Ratemyprofessor is an important tool when signing up for classes.  A professor can make or break a class, and, though the majority of instructors at this college are outstanding, some are easier, more lenient, and more informative than others.  Decide what you're looking for in a professor and register for classes accordingly.

7. Don't eat at Sadler.

                Next year, we're getting "different dining options," but if the following year is anything like the last one, forego the horrible layout and subpar food that you'll find at the Sadler Center and head over to the Caf for every meal you use a swipe on.

8. Do homework with friends, but study alone.

                This practice will get you far.  Homework is the classwork that you'll never do.  That is to say: in high school, you were probably allotted time in class to do practice problems, write essays, read articles, etc...  In college, you come in, sit down, take notes on the lecture, and leave.  Homework is rarely graded, and classwork is never assigned.  For these reasons, I suggest that you treat your homework like classwork and struggle through it with a friend, then, when it comes time to prepare for an exam, tackle the material yourself with the knowledge and perspective that you gained from working with a friend already under your belt.

9.Get a Spotify.

                Spotify playlists will make your studying more bearable, your homework more doable, and your hanging out more enjoyable.

10. Balance your schedule.

                Don't take four literature classes.  They're time sinks.  Don't take four math classes.  Their tests will crush you.  Don't take four science classes.  The homework will break you.  Balance your schedule using the following general rules as your guide: English classes eat up your time by forcing you to read lots and lots of stuff that you're never truly tested on but have to know;  math classes often don't suck up very much time outside of class unless you're a complete homework Nazi (I'm looking at you, Ciera), but the tests require more preparation than any other field; science classes have the most difficult homework assignments because they usually count towards your grade, so you have to do well on them; general education classes just suck, but you have to take them, so find the easiest ones you can for each requirement.

11. Bring a mattress topper.

                I don't know why I was the only person at college who didn't have one of these, but it was definitely a mistake.  Bring something to drape over the rock that the housing department calls a bed.

12. Don't do things you don't want to do.

                This is not high school.  You don't have to join a bunch of stupid clubs for your college application.  This is college; it's a time to "find yourself," or whatever, so don't do a bunch of stuff that you don't want to.  Try stuff out, but, if you hate it, quit.  There's no sense being miserable for no reason.

13. Don't waste your time.

                This is similar to the previous idea, but it's less about not being miserable and more about not being stupid.  Don't sleep all day.  Don't skip your classes.  Don't waste your time.  It's okay to invest in things that you enjoy outside of class, but it's not okay to forsake your classes to invest in those things.  Get up, get your classes out of the way, do your homework, then kill some time doing whatever it is that you like to do.

14. Check your email.

                I should have made this number one, but I don't want to change the numbers on everything.  College staff, professors, and classmates will all reach out to you through email; everyone has one and it's accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at the touch of a button.  You don't want to miss out on opportunities because you "didn't get that email."

                I hope there was some useful information in this blog.  Feel free to email me, Facebook me, or post a comment if you have any questions about the campus, college life, or anything at all.  Welcome to the Tribe, and enjoy your summer.